In Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials, Marion Gibson argues that witch trials from the late Medieval period to today were motivated not by the Bible but by demonology. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the 1641 Body of Liberties laws …

Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials book review Read more »

Every October it’s inevitable that new publications on the Salem witch trials are published. It’s odd because the witches of our Halloween imaginations have nothing to do with the innocent people hanged in 1692. This time one of the new …

Capitalizing on seasonal interest in the Salem witch trials Read more »

If your ancestors lived in Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 17th century, at some point they were affected by the Salem witch trials of 1692. Perhaps they were one of the accused witches, one of the participants (afflicted “girls,” accusers, …

Misconceptions about the 1692 Salem witch hunt Read more »

A Q&A with Margo Burns, associate editor and project manager of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt and expert featured on the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series. WitchesMassBay: What is the premise behind the idea that ergot caused the …

Why not ergot and the Salem witch trials? Read more »